Chris Brochu in ‘Zero Contact.’ Photo courtesy of Lionsgate
Actor Chris Brochu (“The Vampire Diaries” fame) chatted about starring in “Zero Contact” opposite Anthony Hopkins.
It will be available in theaters, on Digital, and On Demand on May 27, 2022. The movie was written by Cam Cannon and directed by Rick Dugdale. “It was amazing to work with director Rick Dugdale, this was my third film with him,” he said. “I will work with Rick for the rest of my life. Rick is a family-oriented individual. I wouldn’t have done this with anyone other than Rick. He put his faith in me and that means the world to me.”
Brochu plays Sam Hart in the thriller film “Zero Contact,” which is a Lionsgate release. “That was a dream,” he said. “It was very much like any other character, you put in the work, you read the script over and over, you figure out where this character lives inside you and you do your best to bring the character to life as authentically as you possibly can.”
“The filming process was where things switched up a little bit. We were definitely experimenting in those sides of things,” he said.
‘Zero Contact’
The synopsis of “Zero Contact” is as follows: This high-tech thriller, starring Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins (“Silence of the Lambs”) chillingly reimagines our isolated, virtual world. Hopkins plays Finley Hart, the eccentric genius behind a global data-mining program.
Upon his death, five remote agents — including Finley’s son — are contacted by a mysterious A.I. entity to reactivate the initiative, which may enable time travel. As sinister events occur at each of the agents’ homes, they must decide whether entering their passwords will save the world…or destroy it. Aleks Paunovic also stars in this movie.
The trailer for “Zero Contact” may be seen below.
On working with Anthony Hopkins, he said, “Thus far, the closest I have gotten to him was being next to him on the movie poster. We all shot on different days and in different locations. None of the actors actually worked with one another. We all worked on our own via Zoom with our director. None of us actually interacted together.”
The digital age
On being an actor in the digital age, Brochu said, “It feels interesting, it feels good. Projects of this nature are a leap of faith, you are jumping out there and you are putting your truth in the people that you are working with. In this film, we all had ‘zero contact’ with each other hence the name.”
“The closest I got to anyone on the crew was to leave my hard drive on my porch so that the DP can drop by and pick up the hard drive at some point,” he added.
Dream Loud campaign
Brochu had great words about being a part of photographer Brad Everett Young’s Dream Loud campaign, which works on preserving arts and music programs in schools. “Brad is always hustling, as usual. He and I have done great shoots together,” he said.
“The Dream Loud campaign is definitely fun. I am all for helping out good causes any time I can,” he added.
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Brochu responded, “Dawn.”
‘The Vampire Diaries’
He is known for playing the role of Luke Parker in the supernatural teen drama TV series “The Vampire Diaries.” “I am very grateful for ‘The Vampire Diaries’ world and those fans,” he said. “The show helped me get through a very difficult time in my life. A lot of people didn’t know that when I was shooting ‘The Vampire Diaries’, I had been diagnosed with skin cancer. I had surgeries during that time but the fans supported me, they loved my character, and they kept him around.”
Advice for hopefuls
For young and aspiring actors, he said, “Put in the work, that’s all you can do. Never stop learning, always rehearse, and always go to class. Always be humble. If this is something that you truly want to do, do it wholeheartedly.”
“Anything in the creative world is not going to be an easy road, it is hard and stressful but it is very rewarding. As long as you have a strong enough ‘why,’ the ‘how’ will work itself out. If your intention is true, the universe steps in and helps you,” he added.
Dream acting partners
He listed Jake Gyllenhaal as his dream acting partners. “Recently, I have been on a Jake Gyllenhaal kick, he is fantastic,” he said. “I find actors that I enjoy and I go through every movie that they ‘ve done, and I try to have their work inspire mine as well.”
Success
Brochu defined the word success as “contentment” in your process, projects, relationships, and life. “To be able to be there for friends and family,” he said. “Success for me is being able to make movies and music, and take time out of the year to take my family and wife out to a place and relax for a week or two.”
He concluded about “Zero Contact,” “Truly anything is possible if you have the right work ethic, intentions, and people surrounding you. It was a long shot in more ways than one. Somehow it all came together under the proper leadership of
Rick Dugdale, so take chances because life is really short. “
To learn more about actor Chris Brochu, check out his IMDb page and follow him on Instagram.
